Doing what you love for a living is something that we all wish to be able to do and say. However, some individuals are able to live their dreams out such as my brother in law Josue Lopez. The talented, funny, intelligent, and loving husband and father are some of the few words I would use to describe him. I have known him for over a decade now and have seen how much of a musical genius he has become. He has been given the opportunity to shred the guitar at a well known church, Houses of Light as well as playing for famous Christian performers. Playing the guitar has always been something he has had a passion for and seeing him excel in this throughout the years has been in honor.  Throughout this time not only has he been able to master his craft, but has been living a life he would not exchange. Many have told me “He is your brother in law so you must be used to him shredding the guitar”, but no. Everytime I have witnessed him perform at events I have been in awe. He has been able to teach me a bit how to play and learning from him has definitely been an honor.
Although he is my brother in law, being able to interview this individual is difficult because he is constantly playing and performing. For that, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to speak with him about his life.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. 
My name is Josue but you can call me Chele. I’m 24 years young, a husband and a father to a 7 month baby. I play guitar at my church. I’ve been playing since I was 15. The church I’m currently at heard me play and invited me to be part of their band. I’m one of the lead guitarists and it’s something I love doing. I live in the city of Sylmar but I mainly grew up in mission hills. 
 
What advice would you give to someone who’s starting out with playing the guitar or any instrument?
 
The best advice is don’t pay attention to guitarists on Instagram or TikTok and focus on your craft and goals. It can be very discouraging when you see someone shredding the guitar and you're still on your basics. Stick to your goals, have a plan for what you're going to practice and be consistent. 
How often do you practice the guitar?
I try to practice every other day. It can be challenging because when you’re busy Throughout the day it can be difficult getting 1 hour of practice in. At times you just have time for a 20-30 minute session and you gotta just make the most of it. It’s frustrating but fun at the same time because you slowly see the fruit of your labor. 
 
Did you ever get discouraged?
Many times I did because you have those weeks where it’s challenging to learn a new scale or there’s no progress in your fingering speed. I’ve felt stuck many times and it’s worse when you see others playing and shredding on the guitar. Social media did impact me for a while. We don’t see the time and effort someone puts into playing a guitar lick. We only see the end goal, perfection. So I often would judge myself on that and not realize that they probably spent hours, weeks or months learning it. Not to mention the countless retakes they did to just record it. 
 
How does it feel when you play the guitar? 
Whether I’m on stage playing or in my living room, playing the guitar is bliss. It’s the place I can go to when I need to relax, de stress and just silence the world around me. It’s an amazing feeling to take what you feel within you and just hear it played out on 6 strings. It can feel like a fun hobby but most of the time it feels like all my emotions are being spoken by each note that I play. 
I would like to now ask you a bit about where you are from.
How has the city changed since you’ve been here?
The homeless crisis has affected the city and cities around where I lived. More and more homeless people are camping out on the street. But other than that the city has roughly been the same. It’s still a safe place to live. Everyone is either respectful or they just mind their own business. One positive thing is the update they did to a local park so the kids in the neighborhood could have a better playground. Another is the renovated plaza they did in Sylmar and Mission Hills. New stores are a target and more food options than when I was growing up. 
What does the average local here look like?
The average local is your typical Hispanic. There are Caucasians and African Americans here and they usually are on the older side but this city is very populated by the Hispanic community.  
The weirdest thing that's ever happened to you in this city? 
There's a couple things that's happened that are weird and also sad. My next door neighbor's kid died from what was an overdose. Sometimes the lights inside would turn on when no one was home. Not even a car in the driveway. Another was that at times you could hear a girl crying for help in the alley behind us. Yet as cliche as it sounds, no one was ever there?
Getting the opportunity to interview this amazing musician who has an impact on his community was a great experience. I have been able to meet different types of musicians, but no one has been as open and willing to teach others like him. I was allowed to hear how vulnerable he was when speaking about past experiences and how he was able to overcome challenges. Being able to hear his journey in the musical world and the amount of work that had to be done in order to get into his position was inspiring. I can not wait to see where his musical career takes him and I am excited to be part of the journey. 

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